Maritime headliners recognised for positive news
Promoting good news
SOUTH AFRICA: Bombarded by negative news on a daily basis, Maritime Review is recognising four headliners from 2025 that helped deliver positive news from the private as well as public sectors, and showcased the impact of industry initiatives as well as drives to minimise the impact of the marine enterprises on the environment.
As an industry that seems to attract new events to the calendar regularly, it was affirming to attend the inaugural African Boating Conference where convener, Veda Pretorius successfully ignited real action through the establishment of the Africa Superyacht Working Group – ensuring that the event was more than just a talk-shop.
The Working Group has already held two meetings since the conference and is working hard to initiate a workplan for 2026 that will foster collaboration amongst stakeholders in the region. As an initiative that is actively seeking to turn the tide to address challenges facing the sector, we surprised Pretorius with the 2025 Headliner Certificate last week.
A second certificate was delivered to AMSOL in recognition of their continued commitment to producing maritime news that emphasises growth, investment and the employment of South African seafarers.
After launching Uhambo in December 2024, AMSOL has continued to show its commitment to the maritime industry and created a series of good news headlines throughout 2025 that culminated in the addition of a second tanker, Ilitha, to take up position in Algoa Bay in November 2025.
This commitment, alongside active participation in maritime events as well as initiatives, makes AMSOL a stakeholder that fosters positive representation of the maritime industry in media headlines.
Currently being couriered to Pretoria, the third 2025 Maritime Headliner Certificate will be received by the South African Maritime Safety Authority and the Department of Transport who delivered the one headline that most of the maritime sector was waiting for this year – the country’s election to the International Maritime Organisation’s Council.
After months of campaigning, and having elicited public support from several administrations, the team was rewarded with a vote that went in the country’s favour. After the disappointment of the 2023 vote, this win will see South Africa take up a seat at the most influential international organisation.
Our final headliner for the year goes to the OCEAN Action Network (OCEAN) and Ocean Plastic Technologies (OPT) in recognition of the launch of their facility to recycle fishing nets at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town.
Estelle van der Merwe, Managing Director of OCEAN Action Network believes that this is a model that can be replicated in other harbours around the country and across the continent which will see today’s good news turn into even more headlines in the future.
“I wanted to recapture the spirit of the Maritime Newsmaker of the Year Award we used to announce at our annual function,” says Colleen Jacka, Editor of Maritime Review, who confirms that this will become a yearly process to highlight some of the very real success stories that are propelling the industry forward.
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